A True Knight - Arthuriana

Malory considers the feudal aspects of heroic knighthood, but he concludes,
above all, a knight is a warrior. In Le Morte Darthur, Gawain is a fierce
warrior who never entirely follows the code of knighthood and chivalry
dictated by King Arthur (Archibald 141-142).
Many critics find fault with Malory’s presentation of Gawain, since in
some tales, Gawain is a barbarous murderer and villain (Lambert 211-213).
During Arthur’s campaign to Rome against the emperor, Lucius, Gawain
distinguishes himself as Malory’s chief exemplar of a heroic knight. Lancelot
and Gawain battle together against Lucius, but Gawain is reckless, often
endangering his life and the lives of his men (Malory 91).
Malory often exemplifies feudal virtues and exploits, but often parallels his
fighting abilities to Lancelot (Kennedy 102-104).
Kathleen Kelly explores the role of knightly masculinity, especially within
the frame of tournaments and on the battlefield; she concludes that the
representation of violence and death in Morte Darthur follows the
preconceived nature of medieval knights as warriors (53).
The violent battles, told repeatedly, feature bloody bodies—strong, manly
bodies covered in armor. For the heroic knight, the masculine, strong gaze
each knight gives before the fight begins is also crucial for Malory’s
construction of the knightly identity of a warrior (Kennedy 56-58).
In “The Death of Arthur,” Gawain is mortally wounded after battling with
Mordred’s troops and is lying in a boat; the wound is made more severe by the
reinjury of an old wound from Gawain’s vengeful battle with Lancelot. As
Arthur comes to Gawain, he tells him, “For now, my nephew Gawain, I will
discover me unto you, that in your person and in Sir Lancelot I most . . .
[have] my joy and affiance” (Malory 508).
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